Movable paper carriage and platen assembly for typewriters and like machines



Aug. 27, 1957 E. c. BRACE E PAPER CARRIAGE AND PLA 2,804, l 88 TEN ASSEMBLY FOR MOVABL Filed May 25, 1954 TYPEWRITERS AND THE LIKE MACHINES 5 Sheets-Sheet l Aug'; 27 1957 c. BRACE 2,804,188

MOVABLE PAPER CARRIAGE AND PLATEN ASSEMBLY FOR TYPEWRITERS AND THE LIKE MACHINES Filed May 25, 1954 5 Sheeis-Sheet 2 Aug. 27, 1957 E. c. BRACE 2,304,188

MOVABLE PAPER CARRIAGE AND PLATEN ASSEMBLY FOR TYPEWRITERS AND THE LIKE MACHINES Filed May 25, 1954 5 sheets-heet s E. c. BRACE 2,804,138 CARRIAGE AND PLATEN ASSEMBLY FOR TYPEWRIT MACHINES 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 MOVABLE PAPER ERS AND THE LIKE Flled May 25, 1954 @eeie Aug. 27, 1957 E. c. BRACE IAGE AND PLATEN ASSEMBLY FOR MOVABLE PAPER CARR TYPEWRITERS AND THE LIKE MACHINES 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed May 25, 1954 United States Patent@ MOVABLE PAPER CARRIAGE AND PLATEN AS- gEMBLsY FOR TYPEWRITERS AND LIKE MA- Edward Charles Brace, Westgate-on-Sea, England Application May 25, 1954, Serial No. 432,256 Claims priority, application Great Britain May 27, 1953 '7 Claims. (Cl. 197-60) This invention relates to movable paper carriages and platen assemblies of typewriters and like machines, 'the object of the invention being to provide improvements therein whereby, inter alia, an efiicient portable typewriter or like machine which is small and compact and of very low weight may be produced.

According to this invention, the platen of a typewriter or like machine is extendible longitudinally thereof. The carriage which carries the platen also may be extendible.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of one form of paper carriage and printing platen according to this invention, showring said carriage and laten in the extended position;

Fig. 2 is a similar view to Fig. 1, but showing the carriage and platen in the contracted position;

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional elevation taken on line III-III of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary transverse sectional elevation taken on line IV--IV of Fig. 2; I

Fig. 5 is 'a fragmentary longitudinal sectional elevation of part of the platen of Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is a front elevation of in the extended position;

Fig. 7 is a similar view to platen in the contracted position;

. Fig. 8 is a transverse sectional elevation taken on line VIII-VIII of Fig. 6;

Fig. 9 is a front elevation of a further modified form of platen, in the extended position;

Fig. 10 is a similar view to Fig. 9, platen in the contracted position; and

Figs. 11 and 12 are trans-verse sectional elevations taken on lines X'I-X'I and XIIXH of Figs. 9 and 10, respectively.

R-eferring'to Figs. 1 to 5, a fixed part 21 of the machine frame provides a support and slide for a movable traversing carriage 22 of a typewriter. The carriage is extendible and comprises an outer base portion 23 and an inner base portion 26. The outer base portion 23 slides along the fixed frame part 21, said sliding movement being facilitated by balls 24 mounted in a retaining member 25 disposed between said frame part 21 and base portion 23. The inner base portion 26 of the a modified form of platen Fig. 6, but showing the but showing the carriage slides within the outer base portion 23 One' carriage end support member 27 is carried by the inner base portion 26, whilst the other carriage end support member 28 is carried by the outer base portion 23;

A paper feed roller 29, of large diameter, is carried on a tubular spindle 30 which is rotatably mounted near its outer end in the end member 27, an operating handwheel 31 being mounted on the outer end of said spindle outside of said end member 27. An inner spindle 32, coaxial With the spindle 30, is mounted at its outer end in the carriage member 28 and its inner end is telescopically mounted within the tubular spindle 30 so that the inner end of the latter spindle is supported by the support portions 37 2,804,188 Patented Aug. 27, 1957 member 28 in both the contracted and extended positions of the carriage.

A first platen mounting 33, which is tubular, is secured by its outer end to the carriage end member 27 and is parallel to the spindles 30 and 32. A second platen mounting 34 is rotatably mounted, coaxial with the first platen mounting 33, by its outer end in the carriage end member 28, whilst the inner end of "said second mounting 34 is telescopically and rotatably mounted in the tubular first mounting 33. The first platen mounting 33 is provided with a longitudinal slot 35 which extends from the inner end 36 of the said mounting. A first portion 37 of a bar platen is rigidly mounted on the tubular first platen mounting 33, whilst a second portion 38 of said bar platen is rigidly mounted on the rotatable second platen mounting 34; the two portions 37 and 38 of the platen, when disposed in aligned end-to-end relationship, in the extended position of the platen, as shown in Fig. 1, provide a complete operative platen.

When it is desired to contract the platen, from the extended position shown in Fig. 1, the rotatable platen mounting 34 is rotated Within the tubular platen mounting 33, anticlockwise when looking in the direction of arrow 39 in Fig. 1, until the platen portion 38 is aligned with the slot 35 in the platen mounting 33; thereupon, the carriage end support member 28 is pushed towards the end support member 27, and the platen portion 38 slides into the slot 35, the platen mounting 34 slides into the platen mounting 33, the spindle 32 slides into the spindle 30, and the carriage base portion 26 slides into the base portion 23, to the positions shown in Fig. 2.

By providing a typewriter or like machine with an extendible carriage and platen, according to this invention, the machine frame may be made small and compact, for example, having an overall width less than the normal standard width of paper which is used in normal size machines, and the carriage and platen may be contracted to lie within said overall width when out of use, whilst enabling the platen to be extended for use so that paper of said normal standard width may be used thereon.

The rotatable platen mounting 34 is provided with spring means to enable it to return automatically to the position with the platen portion 38 aligned with the platen portion 37 when the carriage and platen are extended. The outer end 44 (Fig. 5) of the mounting 34 is hollow and is provided internally with an annular rib or flange member 41 which is secured to the mounting by screws 42. A boss 43 is secured rigidly to the carriage end support member 28, by screw or other means, and is provided with an annular groove 44 in which the flange 41 on the mounting is disposed and rotates, the boss 43 thereby providing a bearing element on which the mounting 34 rotates. A bracket 45 is rigidly secured to the internal wall of the mounting 34 by screws 46, and a fiat torsion spring 47 is secured by one end to said bracket, the other end 48 of the spring engaging in a in the fixed boss 43, the section of the spring and the shape of the recess being such that the spring cannot rotate in the recess. When the platen is extended, with the platen portions 37 and 38 aligned with each other, the spring 47 is relaxed, as in Fig. 5. When the platen mounting 34 is rotated to bring the platen portion 38 into alignment with the recess 35 in the platen mounting 33 the spring 47 is twisted to the position shown in Fig. 4" and thereby applies a torsion effort to' the mounting 34 to urge the latter to return to the position with the platen and 38 aligned with each other" whenjthe' restraint applied to the platen portion 38 by its engage-' ment in the'recess 35 is removed;

The carriage base portion 23 is provided with a toothed recess 49 v situated on the carriage beneath the platen.

machine which controls the stepwise traverse of the carriage on the frame when typing is being efiected.

The typing paper is passed through the machine to thefplaten 37- 38 around the feed roller? which is A curved guide plate 51 is pivotally mounted on the carriage base portion 26 at 52, and is adapted to lead the paper around the roller 29, and a pair of aligned rollers 53, of smaller diameter than the roller 29, and mounted in the guide plate 51, are pressed toward the roller 29 to grip the paper and feed it frictionally. The guide plate 51 and rollers 53 are pressed towards the roller 29 by a cam 54 which is fixed on a spindle 55' which is rotatably mounted in brackets 56 on the carriage base portion 26, a lever 57 also being fixed to the spindle 55. When the lever 57 is in the full line position shown in Fig. 3, the cam 54 operates to press the rollers 53 and guide plate 51 towards the roller 29, whereas when the lever is depressed to the dotted line position in Fig. 3 the fiat 58 on the cam allows the guide plate 51 to fall away, on its pivot 52, from the roller 29 to enable the paper to be adjusted around the roller 29.

In the modified construction illustrated in Figs. 6, 7 and 8, the platen portion 37 is rigidly mounted on an outer, substantially channel-shaped, platen mounting 60 which is rigidly secured by one end to the carriage end support member 27. The platen portion 38 is carried on an inner, also substantially channel-shaped, platen mounting 61 which is rigidly secured by one end to the carriage end support member 28. The end support mem* bers 27 and 28 can be moved towards or away from each other by the inner platen mounting 61 sliding within the outer platen mounting 60.

The platen portion 38 is mounted in a carrier 62 which has two pins 63 projecting from its rear surface, which pins engage in two slots 64 in the flange 65 of the inner platen mounting 61. The said slots 64 are directed transversely of the direction of the relative sliding move ment of the two platen mountings 60 and 61. A spring 66, secured to the underside of the flange 65, engages the heads 67 of the two pins 63 so as normally to urge said pins to the upper or rear ends of the slots 64; thereby the platen portion 38 normally is urged into a position in alignment with the platen portion 37, this condition being allowed when the platen is extended, as shown in Fig. 6.

When it is desired to contract the platen, the carrier 62 for the platen portion 38 is pushed forwards and downwards so that the pins 63 slide down to the forward or bottom ends of the slots 64, against the action of the spring 66, and in that position the carrier 62 is below and forward of the bottom or front edge of the. flange 68 of the outer platen mounting 60, as shown by the dotted line position of the carrier 62 and platen portion 38 in Fig. 8. The carriage end support member then be pushed towards the end support member 27, the platen mounting 61 will slide within the platen mounting 60, and the platen portion 38 together with its carrier 62 will slide along below the said flange 68 to the position shown in Fig. 7 with the platen contracted. v

A further modified form of extendible platen is shown in Figs. 9, 10 and 11. The platen portion 37 is mounted on a platen mounting 70 which is pivotally connected by one end at 71 to a bracket 72 which is fixed to the carriage end support member 27. A helical tension spring 73 is connected by its ends to said bracket 72 and to the platen mounting 70 whereby normally to urge said platen mounting into the position, shown in Fig. 9, in which it projects towards the opposite end support member 28 at right angles to the end support member 27 and parallel with the axis of the feed roller, Fig. 11. The platen portion 38 is similarly mounted in a platen mounting 74 which is pivotally connected by one end at 75 toa bracket 76 which is fixed to the carriage end support member 28, a helical tension spring 77 being con- 28 may nected by its ends to the said bracket 76 and to the platen mounting 74 whereby normally to urge said platen mounting into the position, shown in Fig. 9, in which it projects at right angles from the end support member 28 towards the other end support member 27.

In the normal positions of the two platen mountings 70 and 74, to which they are urged by the springs 73 and 77, and which positions can be attained only when the platen is extended, as shown in Fig. 9, the platen each other,

portions 37 and 38 are aligned with each other to form a continuous platen.

The platen mountings 70 and 74 are substantially of channel shape, as shown in Fig. 11, and the mounting 74 is adapted to slide within the mounting 70.

A spring plate 78, Pg. 11, is secured by its bottom edge to the rear face of the platen mounting 70, and is provided at its upper edge with two pins 79 which project through holes 80 in the platen mounting 70 andwhich register with and also project into holes 81 in the platen mounting '74 when the platen is extended, whereby to lock the two platen mountings to each other, with the platen portions 37 and 37 aligned with eachother. A roller 82 is connected, eccentrically thereof at 83, to the pins 79, and an operating lever 84 projects from said roller. When the lever 84 is moved from the position shown in Figs. 9 and 11, through the are 85 in Fig. 11, to the position shown in Figs. 10, and 12, to rotate the roller 82, the eccentric connection of said roller to the pins 79 causes said pins to be withdrawn from the holes 81 in the platen mounting 74 and thereupon the said mounting 74 can be moved slidably withint-he platen mounting 70. a

When it is desired to contract the platen, the pins 79 are withdrawn from the holes 81 in the manner described, and the two platen mountings 7i) and 74 are moved arcuately on their respective pivots 71 and 75, against the action of the springs 73 and 77, for the inner end of the platen mountingm to be raised and the inner end of the platen mounting 74 to be depressed, whereupon the mounting 74 can be moved slidably within themounting 70, with the platen portion 38 underneath the flange 86 of the platen mounting 70 to the contracted position shown in Figs. IOand 12. i

The carriage'and its base portions, the paper guide plate, and the paper release lever are not shown in Figs. 6 to 8 and Figs. 9 to 12, but they are similar to those shown in Figs. 1 to 5. The 'feed roller 29, which is shown diagrammatically in Figs. 8, I1 and 12, also is arranged in similar manner to that shown in Figs. 1 to 5. What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Pattent 1s:

l. A movable paper carriage and platen assembly for a typewriter or like machine, the said carriage and assembly being extendible longitudinally thereof whereby to becontracted when out of use and to be extended for use, the paper carriage being formed in two portions adapted to slide relatively to each other, a platen formed in two portions of which each portion is a straight bar, two platen mountings on which the said platen portions are separately mounted, one platen portion on each said mounting, the said platen mountings being carried one on each of said carriage portions, and the said platen mountings having sections such that they fit and are adapted to slide or telescope one within the other, the two platen portions being in alignment with each other to for'm a continuous platen of straight bar formation when the said platen mountings are extended'relatively to and the two, platen portions being adapted "to be displaced transversely relative to each other to enable theplaten to-be contracted.

:2 A movable paper carriage and platen assembly, according to claim 1, wherein the outer platen mounting has a portion of its outer wall interrupted or omitted in a position displaced transversely of the mounting and relative to the platen portion thereon, the space formed by the said interrupted or omitted portion being adapted to receive the platen portion on the inner platen mounting when the two platen portions are displaced transversely relatively to each other and the two platen mountings are contracted one into the other.

3. A movable paper carriage and platen assembly, according to claim 1, wherein the outer platen mounting is tubular and the inner platen mounting is adapted to slide axially within the outer platen mounting, the two platen mountings being rotatable relative to each other.

4. A movable paper carriage and platen assembly, according to claim 3, wherein spring means acting upon the inner platen mounting are provided to move the inner platen mounting angularly to the position with the platen portion thereon in alignment with the platen portion on the outer platen mounting when the two platen mountings are extended relatively to each other.

5. A movable paper carriage and platen assembly, according to claim 1, wherein the inner platen mounting is provided with slots disposed in planes substantially at right angles to the directions of sliding movement of said inner platen mounting within the outer platen mounting, the platen portion on said inner platen mounting is provided with pins engaging in said slots whereby the said platen portion may be moved transversely of the inner platen mounting and relatively to the other platen mounting between a position in alignment with the platen portion on the outer platen mounting and a position in alignment with said interrupted or omitted portion ofthe outer platen mounting.

6. A movable paper carriage and platen assembly, according to claim 1, wherein the two platen mountings are pivotally connected at their outer ends to portions of the paper carriage of the machine whereby. the inner ends of the two platen mountings may be displaced relatively to each other transversely of the platen to enable the platen portion on the inner platen mounting to be disposed inside the outer platen mounting when the inner platen mounting slides into the outer platen mounting on con-traction of the platen.

7. A movable paper carriage and platen assembly according to claim 6, wherein spring means are connected to each pivotally mounted platen mounting and are adapted to urge said platen mountings into the positions with the two platen portions in alignment with each other.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Tucker et al Oct. 8, 1918 

